


Ask And You Shall Recieve

by radio_antlers



Category: Lumberjanes
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Gen, Possible Spoilers, and gave me an idea, guess who just got a hold of "true colors?", it was amazing, just be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28867608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radio_antlers/pseuds/radio_antlers
Summary: To collect the "Burning Questions" badge, a scout must be unafraid to ask direct questions and push for answers, no matter how silly the questions may be. Whether it be gathering information on the solar system or pestering your counselor as to why trying to communicate with aliens through Morse Code in the dead of night is strictly prohibited, so long as you're bold and confident with your queries, you'll be eligible to earn this badge!Or, a particularly inquisitive Roanoke picks a certain guest's brain for information on her mythical origins.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Ask And You Shall Recieve

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I read "True Colors" recently and haven't been able to stop thinking about this ever since. Quick warning, this fic contains spoilers for the graphic novel, so if you haven't read it yet and would like to keep the plot a surprise, I would suggest you skip out on this one.

“Is it fun being a dragon?”

Dana nearly jumped straight out of her skin. She’d been cleaning up her temporary cabin (well, as best as she could, the thing was practically a pile of charred wood and ashes) when an unexpected visitor came to _surprise_ her, extra emphasis on the _surprise_ part.

The brunette counselor pivoted on her heels, coming face to face with a little girl who only came up to about her shoulder. Choppy, brilliant blue bangs, a freckled face, hazel eyes that sparkled like they were marbles full of glitter…she was one of Jen’s scouts, right? What was her name again? Ridley, or something like that?

“Uhm…” Dana spluttered, fidgetingly twisting the corner of her skirt between her thumb and forefinger, “I-I’m not sure how to answer that? Remind me what your name is again?”

“Ripley!” The little tween answered. “My friends are the Roanokes, the ones who thought you were something other than human right from the start? I wasn’t with them for most of today because I asked a _Zebra-corn_ to help me be more _normal,_ which wasn’t my _best_ idea- you know what, it’s a _long_ story! I can tell you later.”

Oh, right! Dana remembered now, however vaguely. The _delightfully quirky_ one.

“So, anyway,” Ripley continued without missing a beat, “back to dragon stuff. Is it fun?”

Dana wasn’t too fond of talking about her origins. Not that being a giant reptile was the _worst_ thing in the world; being able to fly, breathe fire whenever you wanted to, and release a cry loud and shrill enough to shatter every window in a ten mile radius were pretty rad attributes – that second one made hiccups a _nightmare,_ though.

And she would normally answer this innocent question, but unfortunately for her, after you drink vial after vial of transformation tonic for years on end, it begins to taint your memory. It doesn’t necessarily make you forget _everything_ you experience in your _original state,_ but it’s spotty, if that makes any sense. Like, you can still think back to the memory, but it’s like there’s a heavy strobe light going off in your brain. I hope that makes sense.

She shrugged. “I guess so. Unless you’re prone to hiccups and your friends aren’t scared of larger-than-life lizards with wings.”

“I thought it would be!” Ripley chirped. “I wish _I_ could be a dragon!”

Dana awkwardly chuckled, desperately trying to come up with a way to dismiss this kid so she could get back to work. How did she even find her cabin, more so _why_ did she enter? It was no _wonder_ her friends were the Roanokes; she fit right in with the bunch. Determined and inquisitive as ever. The bubbliness might be what separated her from the rest.

“Well, uh, I have some stuff to do, so you should probably get back to your counselor,” Dana suggested, turning back to the blackened dresser she’d been poking around, seeing if there was any way it could be restored. The chances of that happening were tiny.

“I just have a _few_ more questions!” Ripley insisted. “I’ll be quick, kitten promise!”

Whatever a _“kitten promise”_ was had been far beyond Dana, but she had a sickening feeling that if she _didn’t_ answer Ripley’s queries, she wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Fine,” she sighed, trying her best not to look exasperated, “what are they?”

Ripley grinned, showing off her gapped teeth. “Awesome! Okay, first, do you have to eat different things when you’re, y’know, a dragon? Like, is your favorite food different when you aren’t a human?”

What kind of question was _that?_ Dana fumbled to come up with a decent answer. “Kind of?” She squeaked. “I mean, dragons _are_ carnivorous creatures, a-at least in my experience, but it’s not like I’m a vegetarian or anything.”

“So, what’s your favorite food?”

Ah, a more regular question this time. “I like chili. I guess that’d be my favorite.”

“Cool beans, pun _very much_ intended,” Ripley nodded, giggling at her own little joke. April would be so proud. “How does breathing fire _feel?”_

And we’re right back to those type of questions! Dana blushed, slightly embarrassed, because of course she was going to ask that. How could she not, after seeing the state that the guest cabin was in. You’d have to be _completely blind_ not to notice all the burn marks on the walls, floor, and furniture, and even so, the smell of burnt wood was entirely overwhelming.

“It doesn’t _hurt,_ if that’s what you’re wondering,” she replied hastily, shifting from one foot to the other. “It doesn’t really _have_ a feeling. It’s just like standing outside in the middle of winter and breathing like normal. I don’t really know how to describe it.”

Ripley took a minute to process, ultimately being satisfied with the answer.

“Is that all?”

“One more,” Ripley vowed. “Can you _teach me_ to breathe fire?!”

Dana nearly choked on the air she was breathing. To be completely honest, part of her had been expecting at least _one_ naïve camper to ask that once they found out – _if, IF they found out –_ about her mythical qualities, but accidentally (possibly on purpose) being outed as a dragon-bred by a group of scruffy looking teens hadn’t _originally_ been on the agenda for today.

“No.” She stated simply. “That would be impossible, and I think you _already_ knew that, so I’m not taking that question seriously. Sorry, kid.”

Ripley seemed unfazed by this. “Are you _sure?”_ She pressed further, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Because one of my older brothers told me that if someone puts all their energy and brainpower into learning a supernatural skill – I’m not totally sure, I wasn’t _really_ listening – that they could _maybe_ learn it!”

Dana quietly giggled. She used to believe that, too, that she could do something seemingly impossible just as long as she put her mind to it. Then she discovered what transformation tonic was, and how easy it was to obtain. But there wasn’t a potion that could allow people to breathe fire, as far as she knew, and she wasn’t exactly eager to try and mix one herself.

“That might be just wishful thinking,” Dana mumbled, giving a light shrug. “Now, you should probably get back to your cabin before dinner, okay?”

Her huge smile slightly faltered, but she nodded and began on her merry way, stopping at the doorframe of Dana’s cabin to ask her one last thing. “But if you _could_ learn how, you’d teach me, right?”

The counselor nodded, smiling a soft smile of her own. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Ripley left her cabin, presumably running off to go find her fellow Roanokes, and Dana continued to clean up to the best of her ability. She was half-mindedly thinking of ways she possibly _could_ teach someone how to breathe fire, just to pass the time before supper. She laughed at her own absurdity, because it was _impossible_ on so many levels.

But maybe, just _maybe,_ she could come up with a compromise.

XxXxX

As the cabins headed towards the Mess Hall for dinner, Dana found herself chasing after Jen. She’d struck a deal with Rosie, allowing her to acquire the materials needed to craft her _“fire-breathing compromise,”_ and needed it to be delivered to Ripley before she had to leave. Dana had no idea why, but she sympathized with the tween.

“Hey, Jen!” Dana called, her pale fingers wrapping around the Roanoke counselor’s wrist. “Can I, um, talk to you for a quick sec?”

Jen looked a little taken aback, but agreed nonetheless. She told her girls to go ahead without her, that she’d join them in a minute. The duo lingered a few feet away from the Mess Hall entrance, and once most of the campers were inside, Dana began to explain.

“So, I got to talk to one of your girls,” She began. “Ripley is _quite_ the curious one, heh heh…”

For a moment, Jen looked horrified. “Oh, gosh, was she bugging you? I _thought_ I told her to leave you alone, I’m sorry!”

“Oh, no, it’s alright!” Dana reassured, her hand still on Jen’s wrist. “It really wasn’t a problem, she just wanted to pick my brain about the dragon stuff, which is to be expected, I guess. But she asked me if I could teach her how to _breathe fire,_ and-”

Jen facepalmed, her sigh turning into a quiet laugh. “Of _course_ she did.”

Her small chuckle must have been contagious, because one escaped from Dana’s lips, too. _“Anyway,_ I told her it was impossible for me to do that, but I _think_ this should suffice? I have no idea _why_ I’m doing this, but…”

Dana passed Jen a small container of what appeared to be brilliantly colored cereal pieces, and an embroidered badge resting on top of it. Jen raised an eyebrow. “What is this? In the container, I mean.”

“It’s _“Dragon’s Breath.”_ It’s a type of candy,” Dana shrugged. “You make it with cereal and liquid nitrogen, and when you eat it, you can breathe smoke. It’s safe, as long as she doesn’t have asthma.” Her pupils suddenly shrank; she should’ve _asked_ first, dang it! “Ripley doesn’t have asthma, does she?”

Jen shook her head. “No, she doesn’t.” She flashed a smile up at her fellow counselor. “This is really sweet. It’ll make Ripley happy, as will the badge, I’m sure. _I_ didn’t even know this one existed!”

Dana blushed. “Yeah, it’s not one that’s commonly earned, since most of the kids I’ve met have been too shy to spit question after question at, well, _anyone!_ Not Ripley, though.”

“She’s like that. Her curiosity and determination are a dangerous combination.”

“I can tell.” Dana soon realized how long they’d been standing outside and figured she and Jen should probably head _inside_ before the Roanokes came looking for them. “We should go in, yeah?”

Jen nodded, and the girls walked into the Mess Hall, stashing the candy and badge in Jen’s rucksack. Whether she liked it or not, Dana was eating with the Roanoke cabin tonight. Maybe Jen could snag one of those _rare badges_ for herself…

**Author's Note:**

> Shameless little self-promo here, but I recently started a Tumblr! So, if you'd like to see some of my artwork and get notified when I post a new story, maybe consider giving it a peek? If you're interested, you can find me @vintageradioantlers. Thank you for your time!


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